Konoha Camp for Troubled Teens
by follow you into the night
Summary: Their parents may have sent them to camp to get them out of the way, but the dreaded summer takes a turn for the better when 8 unlikely teens band together to turn camp hell into a summer they would never forget. Fun, pranks, trouble, and love ensue as these teens try to turn this troublesome summer into the time of their lives. NejiTen NaruHina SasuSaku ShikoIno. NOT crackfic.
1. Chapter 1

_**So this is the first story I've written in a while! I got busy a few years ago and took a hiatus from this site! If there are any old stories that y'all are interested in having me finish, just leave a comment or send me a message! I would be happy to start up on one of those again while also writing this one! I don't know how long it will be yet, but I'm thinking as least 20 chapters! I hope everybody enjoys the first chapter! More to come soon!**_

Tenten sighed again as the bus finally drove through the wooden gates of Konoha Camp for Troubled Teens. As if the fact that attending this camp for the entire summer wasn't bad enough, the drive had taken over 10 hours. Seclusion. Check.

She tugged lightly on the ribbons holding the two buns on top of her head in place before reaching down to grab her bag that was lying on the floor by her feet. Tenten glanced around the bus again, taking in the many faces of the kids she would be forced to spend the next two months with. This camp was known for helping straighten teens out, whether it be because they were outspoken or shy or lazy or any other long list of problems that parents had about their children.

Tenten's eyes roamed over the many faces, taking particular notice of the two blondes a couple of rows behind her. She had detected them early, as did the most of the bus, seeing as how neither of them could stop arguing and both were quite loud. One was a boy with bright blue eyes and a flash of blonde hair on his head that made her eyes water whenever the sun hit it. The other was a girl with blue eyes as well, only hers resembled the light blue color of the sky. She was clearly quite fashionable and many of the boys on the bus had already been eyeing her. But even those two, with all of their energy, had settled down, worn out from the bickering, as the bus bumped its way up the trail towards the camp.

None of the kids on the bus looked any more excited than Tenten as the cabins slowly came into view over the hill. There was one large building, front and center, which had the words "REC Center" written in big lettering over the door. Behind it, identical smaller buildings could be seen spaced fairly far apart and stretching all the way into the tree line. Across from the cabins were a few other buildings of varying heights and sizes, which she assumed, were where different activities and crafts would take place. She could even just make out a swimming pool before the Rec center blocked her view of the clearing.

"Troublesome…" Tenten turned to the boy she had shared a seat with for the last ten hours. His hair was spiky and pulled into a ponytail on top of his head. He had a bored expression on his face and his eyes were directed lazily out the window and up towards the sky. She smiled shyly at him, but he didn't seem to notice or care.

"Alright everybody. Off the bus." The very old, and very annoyed, looking driver stood at the front of the bus. He glared at each teenager as they filed off. However, as Tenten stood and waited her turn, she heard a quiet voice whisper thank you. The driver's face relaxed for a moment into a smile, before snapping back into his job of glaring at the next kid.

Tenten's eyes followed the polite girl who had spoken as she darted down the steps. She had medium length black hair that almost looked violet in the sun. The second Tenten stepped off the bus, she hurried over to stand next to the girl. This was a camp for troubled teens after all. Tenten figured it was safest if she befriended someone she knew was nice.

Smiling over at the girl, Tenten whispered, "Hi, I'm Tenten!"

She took the girl, who was about half a head shorter than her, by surprise as she jumped back, gasping out of shock. She smiled shyly though when she noticed Tenten smiling at her. "I'm Hinata. It is nice to meet you, Tenten."

Tenten was about to say something more in order to start up a conversation, but was interrupted when someone pushed her from behind. She stumbled forward a few steps before regaining her balance and turning around sharply, only to come face-to-face with a pair of very angry pale eyes. The boy looked just as startled as her at their closeness, but quickly recovered, straightening himself out and turning his back to her. "Watch where you're going Lee."

Tenten peered around him to get a look at Lee, and then she almost couldn't believe what she was looking at. Standing, or should I say kneeling, was a boy clad in a green jumpsuit and orange leg warmers. He had the most awful bowl haircut she had ever seen, which gleamed brightly in the sun, and a smile was stretched across his face that nearly blinded anyone who looked at it.

"Splendid flower! I promise that if you will give me your hand I shall protect you with all of the youth of a thousand suns! The power of youth glows brightly in you! YOSH!" Tenten sweat dropped, as did every other person within earshot. Lee was kneeling in the grass, both hands gripping onto a very embarrassed, very pink, girl. While she was pink in the face, what was really striking about the girl was her hair. It was extremely pink, and Tenten found herself wondering whether it was natural or not.

"Get off of me!" squealed the now very pissed off girl.

"I sincerely apologize if I have offended thee in some way! I could not contain myself when I looked upon your glimmering youth! If you would do me the sincerest pleasure of allowing me to carry you to your cabin, I would…."

Tenten quickly slid in, noticing the death gleam in the pink girl's eyes. "Lee! I think I dropped something over by the bus! Could you please help me look for it?" Tenten batted her eyes at him, knowing that boys could hardly ever resist a girl in trouble, especially when they used the puppy dog eyes.

"YOSH! I shall help thee, youthful stranger!" Lee took off sprinting back towards the bus as the pink haired girl gave a huge sigh of relief at having her hand back. Tenten temporarily made eye contact with her, and the girl mouthed a thanks before slipping towards the front of the campers near the blonde haired, blue-eyed girl from the bus.

Tenten turned around to go stand with Hinata again only to be blocked by the boy from earlier. He was smirking down at her and she was once again taken back by the intensity of his pale eyes. She waited a minute, waiting to see if he would say something, but instead he just stared back at her, looking almost amused though it was hard to read much from his expressionless face. A few tense moments passed, then he gracefully sidestepped, allowing her to pass by him.

As she walked back to Hinata, she finally noticed the heat in her cheeks and the reality of how ridiculous she must have looked hit her. "That's Neji. My cousin." Tenten glanced quickly at her new friend before looking over her shoulder at the boy.

"Neji, huh? Is he always that….intense?"

"As long as I've known him, yes. He is quite stoic. Honestly, him bumping into you a moment ago was the most emotion I've ever seen on his face, other than anger. Nothing surprises him normally." Tenten felt herself blushing again, dropping her gaze to the grass at her feet and letting her bangs cover her treacherous face.

Hinata giggled at her, then glanced to the front of the crowd of teens as a woman whose very essence screamed authority exited the Rec Center. "Hello campers! My name is Tsunade and I will be in charge of you runts for the next couple of months. Your parents sent all of you here to learn something and that is exactly what you are going to do. We have a number of camp counselors on staff and I expect all questions to be directed towards them. If you're lucky, you won't see me during your stay here. If you misbehave, well then, do so at your own risk. Now then, I'll let you all-"

"Grandma Tsunade! Hey! Grandma! Does the cafeteria have ramen!?" The blonde boy from the bus was waving frantically at Tsunade, completely unaware of the killing aura surrounding the woman as he called her grandma, not once, but twice. She stalked off without a second glance back.

"N-Naruto…" Tenten turned to Hinata, surprised to find the girl's face completely flushed and her eyes wide as saucers. Tenten followed her dazed look back to the boy who was still making a fuss to anybody that would listen to him about his ramen.

"Do you know him?"

Hinata's face went an even deeper shade of red as she attempted to cover her embarrassment. "Umm…well…yes…I-I suppose…it's just…well…he-he….." Her head ducked even further into her chest and Tenten looked on, worried for the poor girl.

"Its alright Hinata! You can tell me all about him later." Tenten smiled, playfully elbowing Hinata, which caused the girl to giggle.

A man with gravity defying silver hair came striding out of the building next. He was reading something out of a book, though Tenten couldn't quite make out what it was. He seemed surprised when he looked up from whatever he was reading to see all of the campers standing around. "Room assignments are posted there…" he pointed to the side of the building where a bunch of papers were tacked up, "And you each need to fill out an itinerary sheet so we can sort all of you into different activities. Turn them into the office in two hours, then meet in the cafeteria at 7am tomorrow morning to find out your schedules for the next month." He lazily finished his spiel then turned his attention back to his book. He glanced up a few seconds later to find a bunch of curious stares on him. "Umm…dismissed?"

And just like that there was a mad push for the room assignment board. Tenten kept a safe distance back, and was glad of it when she heard a bunch of yells and screams coming from the mass of teens all pushing their way to the front. The only people left standing there was Hinata, the boy she sat next to on the bus who seemed too lost in the clouds to care, a dark haired boy who looked like he was shrouded in a cloak of mystery (Tenten had to admit that it only added to his crazy attractiveness), and Neji, who had once again managed to catch her eye. This time she broke off the contact, looping her arm through Hinata's, and strolling casually toward the board. She could almost feel the intensity of his gaze on the back of her neck.

 _ **Well that's the end of the first chapter! I'll try to post the second one sometime tomorrow! I promise that there will be more to come as far as introducing characters, and I will change POV so that I can give an equal amount of attention to each relationship! If you have any questions or suggestions just leave a comment and I'll answer anything y'all want!**_


	2. Chapter 2

"Where the hell is this cabin!?"

"Calm down, Ino-Pig. It can't be too much farther. There are only two more cabins left!" Sakura sighed as her best friend disregarded her logic and chose to instead continue complaining. In all honesty Sakura was just annoyed as Ino. They must have passed at least twenty other cabins already with no luck. They were walking along a dirt trail that had branched off from the clearing, on either side were two rows of cabins that stretched deep into the tree line. Looking back, Sakura couldn't even see the Rec Center anymore though there were still plenty of campers mulling around the road.

"I mean I swear Forehead! How are we expected to get to the cafeteria on time every morning if our cabin is so far away! My hair doesn't just magically wake up like this!"

"I thought I told you not to call me that, Pig!" Sakura sent a death glare towards her friend who replied by sticking her tongue out.

"You know I say it with love." Sakura rolled her eyes, turning her attention instead back to the last two cabins.

"There it is!"

"YAYAYAY! Finally! These heels are killing me!"

"I still don't know why you thought wearing heels to camp would be a good idea."

"First impressions, Sakura! Duh." Ino shot a smirk at her pink haired friend as they climbed the few steps up to the cabin door. "I really hope this place doesn't smell."

Ino held her breath as she slowly pushed the door open. Then exhaled in surprise. "Wow…this actually isn't half bad."

Sakura stuck her head around her friend's shoulder to peer inside. And was pleasantly surprised to see clean furniture in the living room and even a decent little kitchen type area, though the only appliances were a small fridge and a microwave. There was a table in the center of the room that had four chairs, though it could have easily been used for up to ten people. Along the back wall were only two doors, which meant that they would have to double up on bedrooms.

"This place might not be so bad after all. Decent living, lots of boys, no parents, lots of boys, not a single bug in sight, and did I mention, lots of boys." Ino squealed, grabbing Sakura's hand and pulling her inside.

"Would you cool it with the boys this summer, Ino. Don't you remember why your parents sent you here in the first place."

Ino just rolled her eyes. "If my parents really wanted to straighten me out, they wouldn't have sent me to a camp that HAD boys. Anyways, an all girls camp would have been cruel and unusual punishment." Ino tried to look at Sakura with her sad pout face, but that only caused a chorus of laughs to erupt from the two.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"That must be our roommates!" Sakura quickly dropped her bags, ran to the door, pulling it open only to be met with a fist flying at her face. "AHHH!" Sakura threw her hands up to defend herself, but the blow never came. Peeking around her crossed arms, she saw the owner of the closed fist looking just as shocked as she was. He was tall and blond with blue eyes that rivaled that of her friend's. She followed the stopped fist down to the wrist where another pale hand was holding it back. The boy who had stopped the blow was glaring at the blond. He had dark black hair that stuck up in a very attractive way. The dark hair stood out against the pale skin, as did the eyes which were just as dark as the hair. He was gorgeous, unreal almost. And yet there he was, glaring at her with-

She did a double take when that thought registered in her mind. She had been so busy studying that boy that she hadn't even noticed that he had turned to rest his piercing gaze on her. She blushed, but then was angered. He had no right to be angry at her! This was her cabin!

"What do you two want!?" Sakura was seething, mostly because she was embarrassed from being caught staring, but they didn't need to know that.

"Chill Sakura. What's the problem anyways….Well hello. If it isn't _boys_!" Sakura flinched as Ino squealed near her ear. Then she just rolled her eyes. "Even if one of them is annoying." Ino stretched out the word annoying then stuck her tongue out at the blond boy.

Ino smoothly slipped between Sakura and the doorway so she could stretch out her hand. "I'm Ino, Ino Yamanaka. I hope you two are our neighbors!" Ino winked at the two dumbfounded boys, one of which turned beet red and the other who just scowled. Neither took her hand, which didn't seem to bother Ino in the slightest.

The blonde boy, who finally had his hand back, scratched the back of his head nervously. "I'm Naruto. This is the teme." Naruto grinned while his friend's scowl deepened and his eyes narrowed.

"Stop telling people that, dobe! Come on. I told you our cabin was on the right side."

The brooding boy left the two girls standing at the door along with a confused Naruto. "But this IS the right side!"

From a few feet away the boy sighed loudly in annoyance. "I meant my right. You were walking backwards, remember?"

"OH! Right! Well nice meeting…well nice meeting one of you I guess." Naruto cast a questioning look at Sakura, but when she gave no indication of speaking he leapt down the three steps and took off across the path.

"That was…odd."

"Whatever! Did you check out that dark haired boy! Too bad we didn't catch his name. You can have the annoying blonde. I don't think I can handle somebody who complains as much as him." Sakura sweat dropped.

"I'll pass. Unlike you, I didn't come here to get a boyfriend." But even as Sakura said it she couldn't stop the image of the dark haired boy from entering her mind. He was very attractive. The other boy was cute enough too, but Ino and Sakura both had the same taste in boys: tall, dark, and handsome. Check, Check, and Check.

…..

Hinata smiled politely as her new friend continued to talk about the new katana she had just gotten. Tenten seemed like a nice person and Hinata was thankful that she already had at least one friend in this strange new place. And by some stroke of luck, the two were even going to be living in the same cabin.

But this still did little to calm her nerves. This summer was a punishment from her father. She was too quiet; too shy; too weak-willed to ever have hope of taking over her family business someday. Not that she wanted too. Not that she had a choice. Her father had also sent Neji, her cousin, along to report in about her most likely. Or possibly this was punishment for him as well for a few years ago when he used to lash out in anger over Hinata's side of the family. Either way, it was nice having him along. His resentment had calmed with age and Hinata actually considered him to be something of a big brother now, even if he was only a year older.

Hinata was dragged from her own thoughts when Tenten burst out in happiness mid sentence. "Look! We finally found the cabin! Some hike, huh?"

The Hyuga heiress gave a small smile and a nod of agreement as they climbed the steps to the front door. Their two cabin mates had already beat them here and they could be heard bickering inside.

"At least I don't have a HUGE forehead, Billboard Brow!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, INO PIG!?"

"YOU HEARD ME FOREHEAD!"

"Umm…are we interrupting?" Tenten gave a sheepish grin after the two girls had failed to notice their arrival.

…..

Neji watched from a short distance as his cousin and her new friend entered the last cabin on the right. Sure, he was a bit protective of Hinata now that they were friends, but his eyes lingered on the girl next to her.

Tenten.

Heaven.

Funnily enough, she seemed not to have recognized him. That was unusual for girls, what with him being the Hyuga prodigy. Just last year they had competed in the same martial arts competition. He had won every boys match, and she had won nearly all of hers up until facing a rather vicious blond.

He remembered her because of her concentration and her dedication. She had gone down fighting when most girls, and guys, probably would have thrown in the towel when faced with an opponent twice their size. And yet despite that, she had moved with a dancer's grace and a panther's ferocity. He had quite enjoyed watching her. Apparently she had not done the same considering she didn't give the slightest hint of recognition when he had stared at her earlier. But it was amusing to catch her off guard. She was cute when she was flustered.

Neji shook these thoughts out of his head. For one, they were highly irregular thoughts for the emotionless Hyuga prodigy. And second, he had just reached his cabin, which by some strange stroke of luck, was directly across from Tenten. Or maybe it was more than luck. After all, Destiny often likes to poke its nose into people's affairs, especially when the heart is involved.

…..

"What a drag…"

Shikamaru had finally gotten around to checking out the room assignment board only to find that he got stuck with the cabin furthest away from everything. Normally this wouldn't bother him, but seeing as how breakfast was mandatory at 7:30 am, he wasn't thrilled at the prospect of having to hike to the cafeteria that early every day for the next two months. At least everybody got Sundays off.

He sighed loudly and decided it was about time he peeled his gaze away from the clouds to check out where he was now. The path in front of him was empty and the sun was already showing the first signs of lowering. "Hm…guess I took a longer nap than I thought." In the distance he could make out the last two cabins. There were large windows on the front of each cabin, which basically meant that there was zero privacy. Great.

As he got closer, he noticed a rather pretty blonde laughing in the cabin to the right of his. His breath caught for a second, but there was no denying it.

White blonde hair.

Baby blue eyes.

"Ino…."

…..

After a round of introductions, and profuse apologies on Sakura's part, Ino had enlisted the help of her cabin mates in rearranging the furniture. The couch, loveseat, and two armchairs now formed a circle around the coffee table in the center of the living room. Hinata, who seemed to be a rather shy girl, had settled into an armchair, while Tenten, whose clothes screamed tomboy, had collapsed onto the loveseat. Ino and Sakura shared the longer couch, both leaning forward to get a better look at the activities sheet.

Activity Schedule: (Monday-Friday)

7 am: Breakfast

8 am: Archery or Art

9 am: Volleyball

10 am: Soccer or Tennis

11 am: Group Initiative Course

12 pm: Lunch

1 pm: Karate or Aerobics

2 pm: Canoeing

3 pm: Swimming

4 pm: Snack

5 pm: Basketball or Cheerleading

6 pm: Break

7 pm: Dinner

8 pm: Campfire

11 pm: Lights Out

Since there were three buses, that meant about 150 kids were at this camp. However, the activities were separated into age groups, 14-15, 16-17, and 18, with around 50 kids within each age group.

There were a couple of activities that were required by all campers, such as canoeing, volleyball, swimming, and…. "What on Earth is a 'Group Initiative Course'?"

"No idea. Probably something stupid like trust exercises. We are 'troubled teens' after all." Tenten swung her legs off of the couch to come into a sitting position. She had a smile on her face. "I'm going to sign up for basketball, soccer, archery, and karate for the daily activities. What are all of you going to do?"

The other three girls stared at Tenten with widened eyes. "You can't possibly keep up with all of that on top of the required activities! It's too physically demanding!" blurted out Sakura.

Tenten laughed nervously. "Sure I can. It's only for an hour a day for each activity, and I like all of those sports."

"Well good luck with that! Don't come crying to us if you can't make it back to the cabin after all that!" Ino stuck out her tongue and got a chorus of laughter from the girls around her. "I'm going to sign up for Art, Tennis, Aerobics, and Cheerleading." She flashed a smile, flipping her long hair over her shoulder and striking a mock pose.

Tenten rolled her eyes in humor. "Way to take all the easy ones."

Ino pouted, turning to look at her best friend. "What about you?"

Sakura looked over the activities one last time. "I guess I'll do Art, Soccer, Aerobics, and Cheerleading." Glancing up at Tenten she raised her hands up in defense. "I'm no good at Karate or Basketball, and don't even get me started on my complete lack of aim!"

Tenten laughed along with everyone else. "I'm just glad I'll have someone in soccer with me. Do you play soccer, Hinata?"

The quiet girl shook her head no. "I do like Karate though. I'll be joining Art, Tennis, and Cheerleading though, sorry."

"That's alright! I can't wait to spar with you in Karate!" The two girls grinned at each other, but before anyone could ask another question there was a quick knock on the door.

Ino jumped off the couch since she was the closest to the door. She peeked around the corner before throwing the door open wider so everyone else could see.

…...

Naruto stood impatiently by the doorway. "Can't we go turn the papers in now? It's almost 7! That means food!" His friend Sasuke sighed in annoyance while Naruto's other two roommates maintained their original positions. The one with the spiky ponytail, Shika-something, looked like he had fallen asleep on the couch, while the other one, Neji, maintained his stiff-back position in the armchair.

"We have to fill the papers out before we can turn them in, dobe."

"I did that already! It only takes a second."

"What are you taking then?" Naruto was surprised to hear the guy he thought was asleep ask the question.

"Ummm…" Naruto glanced at his messily filled out form. "Archery, Soccer, Karate, and Basketball. All the other options are kind of girly."

Sasuke nodded his head in agreement as he filled out his form. Neji didn't say anything, but he leaned forward to fill his out too.

"Troublesome….that sounds so exhausting. I'm just gonna sign up for Art and Tennis."

"You have to fill up every timeslot." Neji spoke up sounding very authoritative.

"Ugh, fine." Shikamaru lazily opened his eyes to scan the page. "Karate and Basketball then. Aerobics is too much moving and Cheerleading is for girls."

"So can we go now?" Naruto yelled as he waved at the door.

"I suppose. My cousin is next door though. Let's go see if her and her roommates would like an escort."

Naruto made a pained look, thinking back to the loud blonde from earlier. Sasuke sighed in annoyance as well, but neither said no. If anyone had been paying enough attention, they might have noticed Shikamaru's body stiffen and his eyes widen in panic for a moment before relaxing back into his usual lazy features.

Neji nodded his thanks at the rest of the guys and joined Naruto at the door, Sasuke and Shikamaru lagging behind them.

…...


	3. Chapter 3

"It's more boys!" Ino stretched out the syllable on boys, grinning enthusiastically.

"Neji!" Hinata rose from her seated position when she saw her cousin standing in the doorway. "What are you doing here?"

Neji cleared his throat and directed his eyes towards his cousin instead of the girl eyeing him up and down. "We thought we might escort you and your roommates to the Mess Hall."

"We?" Tenten jumped up from her seat to come peer over Ino's shoulder. Sure enough there were three boys standing down by the stairs: Hinata's 'ramen' boy, her bored seatmate from the bus, and one of the guys who hadn't immediately rushed for the room assignment board.

"Sure! It would be nice to get to know a few extra people before activities start tomorrow. I'm Tenten." She reached her hand around Ino and Neji shook her hand politely. His hand was cool to the touch, probably since the night had turned chill, and they were rough and calloused, much like hers. She smiled at him and he grinned back.

"Are you two just about done there?" Ino was grinning mischievously at Tenten.

She blushed and pulled her hand back to her side. "Right! Well we should get going! Don't want to be late."

"FINALLY!" Naruto sounded almost in pain as he yelled out. Tenten turned just in time to see Hinata's eyes widen in fright as her hands flew up to clutch at her chest. Feeling bad for the shy girl, Tenten grabbed her bag from next to the doorway and tossed it onto the couch near Hinata.

As she dug through it looking for a jacket, she whispered, "Don't worry, Hinata. Just stand by me." Hinata relaxed a bit, smiling in thanks at her new friend.

Ino and Sakura were also rummaging through their luggage by the time Tenten pulled out a maroon zip-up jacket. Hinata was already wearing a dark purple sweater. As Ino slipped on a lavender leather jacket and Sakura pulled on a pink sweater, the four girls each grabbed their activities forms and filed out of the cabin.

…..

It wasn't until Ino had walked down the three steps that she recognized the spiky ponytail. She had originally been headed for the cute boy from earlier who was standing off to the side, both hands shoved in his pockets, when she came to a sudden halt. Leaning up against the cabin wall, his eyes directed towards the darkening cloudy sky, was her old childhood friend.

Or to put it more accurately, the first boy she had ever loved, even if she had only been a child at the time. He looked exactly the same as he had all those years ago, only taller now and with more masculine features.

Her whole body felt like it was frozen on the spot and she was relieved when Sakura looped their arms together and began to drag her towards the path that led to the main camp. "Is that Shikamaru?" Sakura whispered quickly, glancing back behind them inquisitively.

"Mm-hmm…" Ino just kept allowing herself to be dragged along, lost in her thoughts.

Shikamaru and her had been inseparable at one time. He was born one day before her and they had been next to each other, joined at the hip, for the first eight years of their lives. Since their parents were close friends, the two had played together as toddlers, and even back then he was always a sharp kid. They even attended the same elementary school, and when all the other boys teased him for playing with a girl who had cooties, Shikamaru would just tell them that he was immune. It was in first grade that she started to tell him that she loved him, and even though he didn't say it back, she knew he loved her too. She was loud, but intuitive, while he was lazy, preferring not to use words when he knew none were needed. Even at that young of an age she knew what he was thinking without him ever uttering a single word.

But Ino could never forget that day when they were only nine. The two came home from school to find their parents arguing in the kitchen. As hard as she tried to think back to that day, Ino could never remember what they had been arguing about. She had just grabbed Shikamaru's hand and dragged him into the backyard to play. She remembered he had been resistant, pulling his wrist back and staring into the kitchen with an intensity that most nine year olds don't possess. She remembered that moment because of that face. And it had been burned into her memory ever since.

Less than a month later, his family packed up and moved.

One day he was there, and the next he was gone. She had cried and begged her father to tell her where her Shika had gone, but he would only ever say that it was for the best. Even now, her father never talked about the Nara family and only grimaced if she mentioned his name. So she had taken all of their memories and photos and treasured secrets and buried them in the back yard along with her heart. She hadn't even thought of him since entering high school; he had been just a distant memory.

"Ino….Ino!" Ino's eyes snapped open as her best friend shook her arm. They were still only about a third of the way there. "Go talk to him."

"What!?" Ino looked shocked and terrified at the prospect of talking to her old best friend, a guy she hadn't seen or heard from in so many years. What was she even supposed to say?

"Better to talk to him now than to ignore it and have things be awkward the whole summer. Anyways, you always used to wonder what happened and where he went. Now is your chance to get some answers." And with that Sakura unhooked their arms and gave Ino a small push towards the back of the group where Shikamaru was walking by himself, his hands behind his head as he stared up at the sky.

Ino took a deep breath and as he walked past her, she fell into step beside him.

"Shikamaru?"

….

Hinata stuck to Tenten's side like glue as the group started the long trek to the Mess Hall. Ino and Sakura were in front of everybody, with Naruto and the dark haired boy trailing a little bit behind them. Instead of standing next to her, Neji had taken up walking on the other side of Tenten.

She snuck a glance at him. He was acting odd. Normally he would complain ceaselessly about the girls who followed him around at school, so it was peculiar that he seemed so drawn to the brunette beside her. She made a mental note to ask the two of them if they knew each other later.

Hinata happened to catch Naruto glancing behind at them as she turned her gaze back to the path. When their eyes met, he quickly snapped his head back to the front and her eyes dropped to the floor. But in her peripheral she saw him glance back again. He must recognize her too. She blushed at the thought.

…..

Sasuke watched curiously as the two girls he had met earlier whispered back and forth. He kind of figured one or both of them would start flirting with him, but when the two glanced back, they weren't even looking at him. That was fine with him. He didn't need anymore annoying girls hitting on him.

Just as he settled his guard though, the pink haired one pushed the blonde, Ino, back in their direction. He started to sigh in annoyance, but was baffled when she let him pass and instead began walking alongside one of his roommates, Shikamaru.

The pinkette smiled in satisfaction before looking around awkwardly. She was now walking at the front of the group alone. She slowed her pace and fell into step next to Naruto.

"Hey. We met earlier, remember?"

She giggled. "Umm yah. You almost hit me in the face."

"Sorry about that!" Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Anyways…like I said earlier, I'm Naruto, and that guy probably won't introduce himself, but his name is the great Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke glared at his blond friend. It was annoying how Naruto always took it upon himself to introduce him to other people. Though he was probably right. He wasn't likely to do it himself. But adding on 'the great' was definitely uncalled for.

"I'm Sakura. What makes him so great?" Sakura smiled at the two boys, giving no inclination of recognizing the name. Uchiha normally struck a chord with people seeing as how it was one of the most influential names in his city.

"Wow Sasuke. Someone doesn't know you! I never thought I'd see the day!" Naruto laughed even louder when Sasuke punched him in the arm.

"Shut up, dobe."

Still, he was glad too. He liked it better when people didn't care or know if he was an Uchiha. That's why he was friends with Naruto. Status and money meant little to the obnoxious blonde. He had a different means of measuring a person's worth.

"I'm Sasuke. Just Sasuke."

"It's nice to meet you Just Sasuke." She smiled warmly at him, and his eyes softened as he gave a genuine smile back. As far as girls go, this one wasn't so bad.

…..

Shikamaru held his breath as he walked slowly beside Ino. He hadn't seen her since he was nine years old _(they are all 16, except for Tenten and Neji who are 17)._

"Shikamaru….?"

He sucked in a big breath of air, trying to calm his racing heart. It had little affect, but nevertheless, he dropped his gaze to the girl beside him.

She was just as beautiful as he remembered. She had grown her blonde hair out even longer, and she had it tied up into a high ponytail with a strand of it falling over her right eye. He was still taller than her, something that used to annoy her when they were younger. And her eyes. They shone in the moonlight, but they didn't hold the happiness in them like they used to. Her face was etched with worry and he felt bad for making her feel this way; for dredging up old memories just by being there.

"It wasn't our fault."

She tilted her head, confused by his words. "What…?"

"All those years ago. My family moving. It wasn't our fault. I know that's what you're curious about. My dad doesn't really talk about it, but the company our dad's worked for had an open position in the main office. Better title, more money. Both of our dad's were up for the position, but they gave it to mine. That day we found them fighting, your dad had been angry that mine had accepted the job promotion, saying that it wasn't fair to separate us. My dad argued back saying that yours was just jealous. Neither were willing to bury their pride, and so we left. My dad wouldn't even bring me to your house to say goodbye."

He kicked a pebble with his foot and watched as it bounced along in front of them. Ino remained silent, and so he tilted his head back up, getting lost in the endless expanse of clouds. They had just broken through the tree line to enter the clearing when she finally cleared her throat.

"Hi! My name is Ino Yamanaka! It's nice to meet you!" He snapped his head to the side to look into her eyes. Some of the light was coming back into them and she had a sincere smile on her face.

He smirked, stretching his hand out between them. As his hand enveloped hers, he introduced himself. "I'm Shikamaru Nara." He liked it better this way. After all of these years, they were strangers. He wanted to be her friend again.

…..

"FOOD!"

"Shut up, dobe!"

Naruto ignored his friend as he burst through the double doors to enter the Mess Hall. There was a table set up right in front of the doorway as they entered with a rather eccentric looking counselor grinning at all of them, his teeth flashing as he struck his good guy pose.

"Welcome new campers! My name is Might Guy and I will be the one guiding your youthfulness in a positive direction for the short time that we will be together!" All eight teens sweat dropped, and a couple of them (Neji, Tenten, Sasuke, and Sakura) were slowly backing away from the green clad man towards safety.

"Yah, yah, where's the food, Bushier Brows." Naruto could feel his stomach grumbling and was starting to get annoyed that there was yet another delay. He heard a soft giggle coming from his left and he turned his head slightly to see the raven-haired girl covering her mouth, trying to hold in her laughter.

He flashed her a wide smile. It wasn't often that people would laugh when he was being funny. They mostly just told him to shut up or they would ignore him. He also thought it was kind of cute the way she ducked her head to hide her face with her bangs whenever he looked at her.

"Wouldn't you rather hear more about the youthful journey you shall all be taking as one this summer? We can discuss which activities are most youthfully beneficial for nurturing your young minds!"

"Right now my youthful stomach is full of youthful hunger and I wish to fill it with some delectably youthful food!" The girl was giggling again. Naruto liked that.

Might Guy clenched his fist near his face as tears streamed from his eyes. "What an excellent display of youth! I shall hold you back no further from your destination! Enter through the door behind me and you will find that which you desire!"

"Uh-huh. And where do we turn in our activity forms?" Tenten sounded weary as she asked the question.

"YOSH! Make a pile here, my youthful flower!" Tenten scowled at the name and was glad to see that Neji shared the same look, his eyes squinting closed and his mouth set in a firm grimace. Avoiding this guy for the summer was at the top of her to do list.

The eight teens filed past the strange counselor, each setting down their papers in turn. Naruto was the first to the doors again, only this time he held it open to let the others through. It was out of character for him, considering there was food just ahead, but nobody seemed to notice. Shikamaru, Ino, Sakura, Sasuke, Neji, and Tenten passed by, with the dark haired girl bringing up the rear.

She smiled up at him politely. "Thank you, Naruto."

"Huh? You know my name."

The girl blushed and began to poke her two fingers together nervously. "Y-yes. We attended the same private elementary school."

"We did?" Naruto tried to think back, but most of his memories from those days were painful to remember. No family. No friends. And the teachers were almost all unpleasant towards him because of his propensity for pranking. "I suppose you do look vaguely familiar, but I can't really place you."

She looked a little crestfallen when he said that and he immediately felt bad for not being able to remember such a pretty girl. "That was a long time ago though. Maybe you just look different now. What's your name?"

"Hinata. Hinata Hyuga. My hair was really short back then. And I was-well I am- quiet."

"See! That's why you had no problem recognizing me! I was the loud one always getting into trouble! I can't say I had the best attention span and I don't really remember any of the kids from back then." She was still looking awkwardly at the floor so Naruto blurted out the first thing that popped into his head. "You have a pretty name, Hinata." He smiled in triumph as a blush quickly spread across her cheeks and she smiled shyly up at him.

Naruto hadn't noticed yet, but while they were talking, they had reached the front of the line. Hinata grinned up at him. "Look Naruto!"

He whipped his head back and forth, trying to figure out what she was talking about when his eyes landed on what the cafeteria was serving. "RAMEN!" For once, he couldn't tell what made him happier: his favorite food or the pretty girl giggling next to him.

…..

 **Thank you for the nice review PurplePrincess1147! Sorry it took me so long to update last time. I've got the next couple chapters written so I'll try to publish more often!**

 **I'm open to any suggestions about my writing style or if there is anything in particular that y'all like to read! I'm happy to throw in any bonus scenes if there's something people want written out! I'm still partially in the character introduction phase, but the next chapter will start up with the actual story line!**


	4. Chapter 4

Neji didn't hesitate for a second when he slid into the seat next to Tenten. She didn't seem surprised by it either, though he noticed his cousin giving him an odd look. It didn't last long though as Naruto whispered something into her ear that sent her into a fit of laughter. Neji narrowed his gaze at the two, wondering if perhaps he ought to break up whatever was going on there, but just as the thought crossed his mind a sharp elbow landed roughly against his ribs.

"Leave them alone. You don't have to go all 'protective sibling' on Hinata. She's a big girl." Tenten stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to her food.

Neji rubbed his throbbing side. "You didn't have to use physical violence to get my attention. A simple tap on the shoulder would have sufficed."

Tenten just shrugged her shoulders. "You strike me as the kind of guy who responds better to things of a more physical nature."

Neji's eyes widened slightly. Sure, she wasn't wrong, but the way she said it implied a special type of activity. She seemed to reach that conclusion at the same time as he did and her face quickly turned red. "I'll pretend like I never said that if you do." The words tumbled out of her mouth in one breath and once again he found himself oddly enjoying how flustered she was.

He tipped his head to the side, mocking deep concentration. Tenten grew even more agitated and went to throw a fist into Neji's shoulder so that he would stop teasing her. He caught her hand in his easily, midway between them, which he could tell surprised her. They sat there sizing each other up for a moment. "Deal."

"Holding hands again are we?" Tenten quickly drew her fist away, and Neji turned to find Ino leaning over the table, her head propped up in both hands. Everyone else had bemused expressions on their faces as well.

"Don't be ridiculous. I was just going to punch him and he caught my fist. He's got fast reflexes." Tenten sent him an inquisitive glance out of the corner of her eye. So he was definitely right. She didn't recognize him from the multiple tournaments they had competed in over the years.

"Hm-hmm. Whatever you say. I've got my eyes on you two." Ino slipped back into a seated position and quickly leaned over to whisper something into Shikamaru's ear. He looked at her incredulously for a second, but whatever she had asked him, he agreed to halfheartedly once she stuck her lower lip out in a pout.

Neji sighed in embarrassment. It wasn't like him to get caught in compromising positions, even if it was just holding hands (or fists), and he certainly didn't like being the butt of everyone's jokes. But even as he was thinking this, his eyes couldn't help but wander to the girl seated next to him as she talked animatedly with his cousin.

…...

Luckily, since the first of the activities were starting the next day, the counselors had let all of the students go back to their cabins early. After the grueling ten hour bus ride, everyone was exhausted and had said their goodbyes at the fork where the path spit into two. Sleeping arrangements were quickly agreed upon. Sakura and Ino. Tenten and Hinata. Shikamaru and Neji. Naruto and (a very unhappy) Sasuke.

Tenten was the first one up at six the next morning. She had laid out her clothes the night before so she wouldn't wake Hinata, and silently slipped out of the bedroom. It was still dark out as Tenten leapt down the stairs of her cabin. Her morning routine normally involved a half hour jog, but seeing as how she had a lot of activities on her plate for the rest of the summer, she had decided just a morning stretch would suffice.

She reached her arms over her head and twisted her waist to the left and right, then bent down to touch her toes. She was just about to stretch out her calves when she heard the front door bang shut over by the boys' cabin.

Neji was leaning on the railing watching her bemusedly. He was already dressed, wearing a tan T-shirt and black running shorts. "Do you always wake up this early?"

She smirked. "I could ask the same of you."

"I asked first." He quickly retorted.

"I normally do a thirty minute jog, but since my whole day is pretty active, I figured I would just stretch for a bit. Your turn."

"I meditate in the mornings." Neji pushed off of the railing and made his way across the clearing to a tree near where she stood. He motioned at it. "Mind if I join you?"

Tenten smiled brightly. "Not at all."

…

Sakura moaned as she rolled over to kill the beeping monstrosity Ino had set out on the bedside table. Somehow, despite the awful noises ringing out from the alarm clock, Ino still managed to look like she was sound asleep. As she turned the face to look at the time she groaned loudly. It was 6:20 am. And seeing as how it was a ten-minute walk to the Mess Hall, they only had half an hour to get ready for the day.

Sakura was thankful now for Tenten's suggestion of packing a bag the night before. It had her swimsuit, a hairdryer, a hairbrush, some make-up, and a change of clothes, as well as a medical textbook that was small enough to not weigh her down. Ino had included a straightener in hers, as well as two extra pairs of clothes. She had insisted that wearing a skirt for cheerleading was a necessity, but Sakura was more worried about lugging the bag back and forth all day.

Looking at the clock one last time Sakura figured it was about time she woke Ino up herself. "Ino….Ino, wake up!" No response. "INO!" Still nothing. Sakura exhaled loudly, getting annoyed with her best friend. Still half asleep herself, Sakura threw her covers back, picked up her pillow, and chucked it right into the blonde's peacefully oblivious face.

…

"AHHHHHHH! WHAT WAS THAT FOR BILLBOARD BROW!?"

Hinata jumped awake at the sound of her two roommates screaming at each other in the next room. Her heart was racing from the unexpected wake up call and she had to take a moment to compose herself while she became reacquainted with her surroundings.

She was in her room alone. Tenten must have woken up early and slipped out, seeing as how her go bag was missing as well. Hinata ran a hand through her tangled hair. A quick shower would see to those.

She daintily slipped out of bed, cringing when her bare feet came into contact with the chill floor. She made a dash for the only bathroom in the cabin, which was located in the living room, forgetting to grab her clothes in her hurry to escape the cold.

Ten minutes later, the steam from the shower provided a much warmer exit than her covers had earlier. She quickly ran a brush through her wet hair before realizing, with dread, that her clothes were still in her room. Sighing softly, Hinata slowly inched the bathroom door open. She didn't hear anybody and the kitchen was empty so she opened the door all the way. It only took about a tenth of a second for her to regret that hasty decision.

Her shower must have lasted longer than she had originally thought since there were now three boys sitting in the living room. She was thankful that Ino had rearranged the furniture so that all three had their backs to her. Tenten was the only other person in the room and her eyes widened in surprise and horror when she saw Hinata standing there dumbstruck in nothing but a towel.

"Hey! Umm…so…uhh…what activities are all of you doing?" Tenten's voice sounded strained and Hinata could only imagine the confused faces the three guys were giving her. But Hinata quickly caught on to what Tenten was doing as the girl began to wave her hands around wildly. The guys probably thought she was losing it, but Hinata could tell that it was her cue to make a dash for their room three steps away.

With all three guys grudgingly laying out their schedules for Tenten, Hinata took off at a run. The second she slipped (quite literally) into her room, she slammed the door shut, a bit more forcefully than she had anticipated. As she leaned up against it, her heart racing frantically, she could hear Naruto in the other room.

"What the hell was that!?"

Tenten was feigning ignorance. "What was what?"

Hinata laughed to herself, making a mental note to never forget her clothes again. She beat some kind of record with how rapidly she got dressed, hurrying to go join the others outside. They were all sitting in the same places when she joined them a minute later, her bag over her shoulder and her hair still damp from the shower.

She smiled gratefully at Tenten as she joined her on the loveseat across from the guys. "Thank you, Tenten."

"What are you thanking her for?" Naruto asked curiously.

Hinata blushed a deep shade of red. Neji and Sasuke didn't seem phased though. They had probably already guessed at what had transpired, putting two and two together what with Tenten's 'performance' and the steam still seeping out of the open bathroom door.

"N-Nothing!" Naruto just shrugged. Thinking to himself about how odd girls acted in the morning.

"Where are Ino and Sakura?" Everybody just shrugged and Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Last I checked they were straightening their hair. I don't see the point considering we have swimming later." Hinata, perceptive as she was, noticed the way her cousin tried to suppress his grin and nod of approval. "I normally wouldn't be so annoyed, but Ino tried to attack my buns with that hot spindle torture device of hers."

Hinata couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her. "You mean her hair straightener?"

Tenten replied crossly. "That's what I said, didn't I?"

"Oh stop throwing a fit! I bet your hair would look really cute if you let it out of those monstrosities on top of your head."

Ino and Sakura both walked into the room looking more ready for a photo shoot than a day of intense and grueling activities. "For your information I like these 'monstrosities.' They keep the hair out of my face."

They guys looked rather uncomfortable as the girls bickered back and forth about the pros and cons of hair functionality verses style. Hinata, taking pity on them, took it upon herself to break up the catfight.

"We should probably be going soon if we want to make it on time. Where is Shikamaru?"

"Hn. He is insisting that breakfast doesn't start until 7:30 am." Neji looked a bit annoyed.

"I even pulled him off the bed to try to wake him up and all the lazy bum did was curl up on the floor!" Naruto looked even more frustrated than Neji, while Sasuke just stuck with his favorite facial expression, a scowl.

"He'll show up when he wants to, no changing that. Come on! Last one to the Mess Hall has to grab him breakfast." Ino strutted out of the cabin, Sakura at her side. The three guys, thankful to finally be out of there, rushed a little too quickly to the door, and Hinata and Tenten took up the rear.

Tenten laughed to herself abruptly, taking Hinata by surprise. "What is it?"

Tenten waved her hand around while she tried to catch her breath. "I doubt those three will ever make the mistake of coming to our cabin in the morning ever again."

Hinata joined in with her laughter as they continued down the path.

…

Even though Ino was the second one to the cafeteria (after Naruto of course), she was the one who grabbed breakfast for Shikamaru. She was glad they had gotten past the uncomfortable bit quickly. Now she could act like herself again. She had decided last night to treat him like she would any other guy she had just met. But she was also finding it hard to flirt with him like she did the others. Maybe it was because it was still a little awkward even if they were both ignoring it, or maybe it was because of their past history. It was hard to treat him like any other guy because in reality, for all that she flirted with them, she never cared about any of the other guys.

Ino also kind of liked the fact that she could still get him to do the things he didn't want to do. Like last night when he had flat out refused to help her by spying on Neji. She pulled one puppy dog pout and she owned him! She'd have to get Sakura in on it next. Maybe Hinata too, though she wasn't sure what with Hinata being Neji's cousin and Tenten's friend. Of course that could also be her way of getting the inside scoop.

While Ino and Sakura gossiped back and forth between each other, the cute silver haired counselor from yesterday cleared his throat.

"As you all know activities start today. The goal here is to basically make your lives miserable since that is what your parents are paying us for. So don't expect any of the instructors to go easy on you and don't expect to sit on the sidelines doing your nails." He swiveled his head just slightly to the side, but it was obvious that he was talking about a group of three girls who had brought an arsenal of makeup and hair products to breakfast. "So eat up. Head to your first activity when you're done."

When he finished, he lifted his book back up to his face, completely immersed in whatever he was reading.

Ino glanced nervously down at her watch. It was nearly 7:45 and Shikamaru still hadn't made his grand appearance. Dragging her gaze away from the cafeteria's double doors she cut off Sakura's rant about not having enough free time to read mid-sentence. "I'm going to run back to the cabin really quick."

"But activities start in 15 minutes. It will take you at least that much time to run there and back, and that's only if you run…"

Despite Sakura's attempt to stop her, Ino was already halfway to the door, shoving a napkin full of biscuits and bacon into her bag as she shuffled down the aisle.


	5. Chapter 5

Shikamaru was _not_ a morning person. Despite his roommates' best efforts that morning, he was still curled up in a ball, partially freezing to death, on the floor next to his bed. The cold was preventing him from falling asleep fully, but he was determined to not move until he got the five minutes extra sleep he had requested before the crazy blonde idiot had dragged him from his covers.

He couldn't see the time, but he wasn't overly surprised when he heard the front door of the cabin bang shut. He was late and one of his roommates must have taken pity on him and decided to drag him the rest of the way to their morning activities. The footsteps grew louder so he squeezed his eyes shut, praying that whoever it was would just go away.

They did not go away though. Instead they entered the room, pausing for a moment at the door (probably in disbelief that he hadn't at least crawled back into the bed). He didn't start to question anything until he heard rustling above him and then a blanket being gently wrapped around his body. He was just working up the energy to ask what the hell his roommate was doing when he caught a whiff of lavender and lilacs.

He relaxed his limbs again, breathing in the scent of the girl he had known so long ago. Ino always smelled like fresh flowers.

His body instinctually tensed when he felt her hand ghosting over his temple, her touch as light as a feather and as soft as the petals she used to wear in her hair. Her hair tickled his neck as he felt her lean over him, gently lifting his head to rest on her thigh.

He couldn't remember the last time his heart had raced like this, or if it ever had. Her hand was back in his hair, stroking softly. He knew any second now that Ino would hear his raspy breathing, notice the blush rising on his cheeks, feel his erratic heart beat.

"How much longer are you going to pretend to be asleep, Shika?" He fought back a groan as her warm breath washed over his skin and her whispered question tickled his ear. She was too damned predictably perceptive.

He was smart too though and noticed the way she lingered just a bit too long. But all too soon for his liking her smell was gone and instead replaced by the strong scent of bacon.

Bleary eyed, he squinted up at her. Her hair was in a ponytail again today, and it cascaded down her back. She was wearing purple again as well, her favorite color. His eyes fixed on the food she was laying out in front of him, rather surprised by her behavior. She had always been bossy when they were kids. It hadn't been like her to allow him to lie around, and she certainly had never brought him food when he was being lazy on purpose. His mind drifted away from the food to ponder something that had suddenly begun to bother him.

Choji, an old friend from when he used to live next to Ino, had kept tabs on her for him over the years. He had heard all about her flirtatious personality, still as bold as she always had been. He'd heard all about the numerous dates she'd had, rarely with the same guy twice. So he felt a twinge of annoyance as his brain started to process the last few minutes.

Eight years as childhood best friends and she was already treating just like any other guy; shamelessly flirting.

"What's wrong? I know it's been a while, but do you still like bacon?" Shikamaru grunted under his breath as he pushed himself upright, brushing the dust off of his pants leg. He brushed past Ino without a glance and dug around in his suitcase until he had found his swim trunks and a crumpled T-shirt.

Ino was already standing in his doorway by the time he straightened up. He caught the smallest trace of hurt on her face before she replaced it with a flirty grin. "Eat up. And by the way, you're already late for the first activity." She pivoted on one foot and disappeared from sight. A moment later he heard the front door bang shut and he finally let out the breath he had been holding.

He didn't want to be just another guy she flirted with, even if it meant he had to treat her with the same indifference he did everyone else.

…..

Archery was relatively uneventful. The girl with the buns, whose name he had already forgotten, gave everybody a run for their money with her near perfect aim. Even Sasuke had been impressed, though to any onlookers he remained as passive as ever.

Volleyball had been slightly more entertaining/disturbing as they got stuck with Guy (aka Bushier Brows) as an instructor. He had spent most of the hour overusing the words passionate and youthful as he lectured everybody on the importance of teamwork and pushing yourself past the point of human exhaustion.

Sasuke stared straight ahead as the majority of the guys made their way to the soccer field, Naruto jabbering away as usual. He was blissfully imagining what silence must sound like when a flash of pink hair caught his attention. Or rather she grabbed his arm without him noticing her beforehand due to his preoccupation with his own thoughts. It was rare that he didn't notice someone approaching, especially someone who stood out from the crowd like she did.

"Neji is hogging Tenten. Mind if I hang with you two?" She smiled up at him and Naruto.

Sasuke stuck to his vow of silence, returning his gaze towards the front. Naruto, on the other hand, ran through the normal greetings involved with polite human conversation.

"And how it the great Sasuke today?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes in frustration, before realizing that she was being sarcastic because of Naruto's introduction the previous night. In his peripheral vision he could see her expectant face staring up at him, waiting patiently for an answer.

The silence stretched between them until Naruto once again took it upon himself to be Sasuke's answering service. The two continued to chat amicably between themselves until the group made it to the open field.

A groan echoed around the group as everybody saw who their instructor would be….again. Might Guy was standing with his hand held out in a thumbs up, his smile blinding anyone who accidently made eye contact.

"Alright! Yosh! It is always a pleasure to meet new students!" Everybody sweat dropped, considering it had been less than ten minutes since he had last seen them. "Okay, Okay, Okay! I want two groups out on that field exploring the youthfulness of this great and wondrous sport!"

The kids split themselves up, Guy blew his whistle, and the ball went flying into the air. Not surprisingly, Neji was the first one to gain possession of the ball. Also not surprisingly, Tenten was the first to make a steal.

While he didn't care for teamwork, Sasuke did have a particular liking for the sport so he threw himself into the game with the intent of winning.

The hour passed relatively quickly, the score remaining mostly tied. He didn't pay much attention to the people on his team or the people on the other team. Instead his focus remained on the soccer ball as it darted back and forth across the field. His T-shirt was already drenched in sweat, which wasn't a good sign since this was only the third activity of the day.

Sasuke watched as the ball made its way back towards him, steeling it from a rather slow brunette with ease. He was running back up the field toward the goal, focusing all of his attention on the target in front of him, when suddenly there was nothing to kick at his feet. He only had time to register a flash of pink.

He glanced down, but Sakura had already gotten back up from kicking the ball out from under him, and he could see Tenten already weaving her way down the field. As Sakura took off to join her teammate, he stood in the middle of the field somewhat dumbfounded.

"Yo! Teme! Why are you _SMILING_? You just lost us the ball!"

Sasuke snapped out of his astonishment at once again being surprised by the same girl, and quickly adapted his customary scowl. "Whatever, dobe." Mortified, and radiating a dark aura, he pushed past Naruto to chase after Tenten. It was already too late though as a cheer rose up from the other team and Guy sounded the whistle, signaling the end of the game.

…

Hinata twiddled her thumbs nervously as each of the instructors read off eight names. She was disappointed that Tenten and Ino had already been put into another group for the initiative course, along with Neji (who looked uncharacteristically happy about the activity), Shikamaru, Kankuro, Sai, Temari, and Tayuya.

She perked up as she heard Might Guy call out Naruto's name, and immediately grew flustered as her name followed his. The blonde shot a wide smile in her direction and she had to focus all of her attention on not passing out as she tried to listen as Guy continued to call out Sakura, Sasuke, Lee (who burst into tears and….was that a sunset?), Kiba, Karin, and Suigetsu.

The group was led off towards the edge of the clearing, Lee hanging off of every word that Guy spoke, and everybody else looking enviously back at the kids who still had a chance of getting a sane instructor. Naruto didn't seem as disappointed as the rest of the group, as he seemed to find great delight in calling Lee 'Bushy Brows' and Guy 'Bushier Brows.' Observant as she was, she didn't miss the glances he threw at her every time he got to use one of their 'names.'

They stopped next to a giant oak tree that had rungs like a ladder nailed into it. Hinata eyed it wearily, assuming it wasn't a coincidence that they had been led to this tree specifically. When a mentally stable person thinks of trust exercises, they assume falling into another person's arms. Both participants' feet planted firmly on the ground. An irrational person (*coughGuycough*) would go to extremes. Hinata had a bad feeling that at some point Guy was going to make her climb up that tree. She just prayed that he didn't expect her to JUMP out of it, even if Naruto was the one that might get to catch her.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than when Guy captured everyone's unwitting attention as he climbed up onto one of the more sturdy branches and swung his arms out wildly, nearly plummeting to his death accidently without the insane notion of jumping.

"NO WAY IN HELL AM I JUMPING FROM THERE!" Hinata nodded in agreement with what the red haired girl, Karin, had shrieked. Sakura's eyes had glazed over in horror, and even Sasuke was eying the tree uncertainly.

Naruto was the one who really caught her attention though as he was bent over, laughing so hard that he had tears streaming down his flushed face. She followed his gaze and had to cough back a chuckle of her own. Lee had his arms thrown out wide, completely ready to catch a man more than twice his size from a height three times taller than him. These two really were being rather foolish. Hinata was still holding out for the hope that one of them would break character and start laughing about how it was all a joke.

No such luck.

With a single cry of "YOSH," Guy pitched himself backwards off of the tree limb and fell somewhere behind the tree line. Hinata's scream stuck in her throat, though Sakura's ripped across the clearing, piercingly loud.

The sound almost managed to cover the sound of a splash as Guy hit water, which must have been hidden somewhere behind the bushes that lined the clearing. Lee looked disappointed that he would not be able to prove his strength and trustworthiness by catching their instructor, but everybody else sighed in relief.

Guy appeared from behind the bushes, sopping wet and with a smile plastered across his face. "All of you will get to try that on Friday. Today we have the privilege of learning about each other though in order to form the bonds of lasting friendship and love! If we are really lucky, maybe even a rivalry will surface. One with which you can challenge each other beyond your limits!"

As Guy continued to ramble on an on about his own strange rivalry with the silver-haired instructor, Kakashi, Hinata's gaze wandered towards Naruto. He was still wearing a sloppy grin, and he kept shooting glances over towards Sasuke, causing his smile to get wider and Sasuke's sighs of annoyance to get louder.

The boy named Kiba finally cut off Guy's rant about his last challenge against Kakashi, where Kakashi had managed to get more people to pull over to "help" him while hitch hiking. Apparently not a single person had stopped for Guy. One driver had even hit the gas pedal harder with Guy standing in the middle of the road.

"So what exactly are we supposed to do in a 'Group Initiative Course?'"

Guy straightened his green jumpsuit and smiled brightly. "I'm so glad to see the inner youth that burns brightly in you! Today we will be tackling a simple task: the Balance of Life!"

Everybody sweat dropped, continuing to stare at him due to the rather vague answer. "Follow me young pupils." They walked a few yards along the clearing until they were all standing around a square piece of wood. "Yosh! Here is your task!"

More blank stares. Lee, however, took action, leaping onto the random piece of wood like his life depended on it. "Beautiful pink flower, come out of the water! I shall protect you from drowning using this piece of wreckage from our ship!"

Sakura backed away instinctively, gawking at Lee like he had gone mad. "I'm not standing that close to you!"

"Yosh! Youthful flower, this is the task! All of you must balance on this board in order to survive. If you cannot work together as a team to stay afloat, then you will all drown!"

Hinata's face turned a bit pink as she realized what they were going to be forced to do. Everybody in the group had to take initiative and work together to stay on the piece of wood, which, she realized with a growing unease, was wobbling with just Lee standing on it.

There were sighs of frustration and plenty of not-so-under-their-breath complaints, but grudgingly everyone approached the board. Hinata's blush deepened as she noticed Naruto shift closer to her as she gingerly joined Lee. The board pitched her backwards the second all of her weight was on it, and she was relieved to feel two firm hands gently push her back up.

She turned her head to the side to see Naruto's shining face. "Wouldn't want you to 'drown' now, would we?" He winked at her and it felt like the board was falling out from under her feet again.

Karin was the next one to try getting up on the board. Lee held out his hand to help her, but she smacked it away. The moment she was fully up, the wood jerked wildly again. Hinata was grateful that Naruto still had his hands on either side of her.

Karin, on the other hand, was not so lucky. The person nearest her was Suigetsu. He had quickly side stepped to his right and allowed her body to hit the ground at full force with a thud. She immediately sprang up, screaming in his face about how un-chauvinistic he was. Rather than paying her any mind though, he just slipped a knife out of his pocket and began casually digging the dirt out from underneath his nails. Guy quickly intercepted the knife, causing Suigetsu to roll his eyes.

Karin blatantly refused to climb on again and left the group, marching back across the clearing towards the Rec Center. With silence finally restored, Sakura stepped forward. "I think I'll take your help now Lee. Thanks." Sakura accepted Lee's outstretched hand and stumbled forward into him as the board adjusted under her weight.

Sasuke climbed up behind Sakura, but was forced to hold onto not only her, but also Lee, in order to maintain his balance. He looked rather displeased.

Suigetsu climbed on next with no fuss at all. The guy didn't stumble or grab onto anybody, which of course annoyed everybody else. Guy was yelling lines of encouragement as he circled around them. He reminded Hinata of a shark circling its prey. At this point, a shark would have been preferable.

Naruto was the only member (other than the very miffed Karin) left in the 'water.' Hinata felt his grip on her arms tense a bit as he slowly put one foot on the piece of wood. The board swung wildly in his direction, sending Hinata crashing into his warm chest.

She could feel the heat rising across her face, but luckily her back was still towards her childhood crush. He re-stabilized her first, then put the last of his weight onto the board. Everybody heaved a sigh of relief when nothing happened.

Guy started the countdown from thirty seconds. If they managed to stay aboard until he reached zero, they could go grab an early lunch. The only sound was Guy's counting, everyone held their breath. Hinata's skin crawled as she felt Naruto's whole body pressed up against hers. She could feel his heartbeat, just as erratic as her own, his breathing labored despite the lack of physical activity.

Three…

Two…

One…

The second Guy yelled out congratulations, Sakura pushed backwards with all of her might against Lee, who in light of their victory, had been leaning forward for a kiss. Sakura tumbled backwards into Sasuke, and they went over the edge together, landing with a nasty sounding thud.

Hinata didn't get a chance to see what happened with them as at about the same time, the board pitched her back into Naruto (again) and they too hurtled towards the ground.

As they fell, Naruto's grip loosened just enough so that she was able to twist her body some so that she could cushion her fall with her hands. Instead of her hands hitting the grass like she had expected, they landed against a surprisingly firm chest.

In the half a second it took her to comprehend the awkward position she was in, her legs intertwined with Naruto's and their faces an inch apart, all of the blood rushed to her head and her vision when dark.

…..


End file.
